Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in an adjustable air bike fan blades. More particularly, the present adjustable air bike fan blades alter the diameter and/or the angle of the blades to change the amount of resistance at the same rotational speed of the fan.
Description of Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98.
Exercise equipment have some type of a resistance mechanism that increases or decreases the amount of effort to perform the exercise. The resistance mechanism takes a variety of forms from prony brake, to generators, alternators or air movement devices. Air movement devices typically consist of fan blades. For exercise bicycles a person exercising, typically pedals at a fixed rate or cadence or revolutions per minute. The cadence rate is typically between 60 and 100 turns per minute. Because the cadence rate is fairly fixed, the resistance remains the same as the person exercises. With a fan the resistance is based upon movement of air caused by the fan blades. Use of a fan provides both resistance and air movement to cool the person exercising. The use of a fan essentially does not wear-out because there are no parts rubbing against each other to cause the resistance from air movement.
A number of patents and or publications have been made that use fans to create resistance for exercise machines, and in particular bicycles. The air fan is typically mounted in-front of the person exercising and is further located between the handlebars. These exercise bicycles can include handlebars for also exercising the upper-body. Exemplary examples of patents and or publication that try to address this/these problem(s) are identified and discussed below.
One of the earliest versions of an exercise cycle using air resistance is U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,030 that issued on Feb. 12, 1980 to Lindsay A. Hooper that disclose A cycle exerciser having a vanned wheel rotatably mounted on a frame and arranged to absorb energy by movement of the broad surfaces of the vanes against the surrounding body of air. While resistance vanes are disclosed, the angle and diameter of the vanes are fixed to the rim of the cycle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,225 issued on Nov. 14, 1989 to James F. Lucas et al., discloses a dual action cycle exerciser providing for exercising movement of the arms and legs using rotating pedals and oscillating handlebar levers. While the levers are linked to the pedals there is no adjustment to the blades to change the resistance.
A more modern patent is found in U.S. Pat. No. 8,113,996 that issued on Feb. 14, 2012 to Tad Allen. This patent discloses a dual action recumbent exercise cycle which provides upper body, lower body and cardiovascular conditioning with emphasis directed toward the needs of obese individuals. This patent also uses fixed fan blades.
What is needed is an adjustable air bike fan blades. The bike fan blades proposed in this document provides adjustable exercise resistance by altering the fan blade diameter and or the angle of the blades.